Fatal Frame IV plagued with bugs

We've been riding the Fatal Frame IV hype train as enthusiastically as any other site in recent months. The Tecmo/Grasshopper Manufacture crossover has long looked beautiful, engrossing, and hiding-behind-the-sofa scary. Furthermore, it's being published by Nintendo, which more or less guarantees a good time, right?

Wrong.

The game released in Japan last Thursday, meaning early importers are just now getting their copies in, and already several new owners are complaining about a host of collision detection issues, unselectable menu options, a ghost database that doesn't record all ghosts, and -- far more depressingly -- a game-freezing bug. Nintendo is acknowledging the glitches, and has released a statement featuring advice on how to best cope with them. We'll just have to hope some of this mess is cleared up when (and if) the game comes to the west.